Smart Waste Collection Sytem Rerouting Collection Based on Waste Container Accessibility

1. A waste collection system, comprising: a waste container for receiving waste; one or more sensors associated with the waste container, the one or more sensors including: a waste status sensor to determine one or more of a state of the waste container and a volume of waste in the waste container; and a spatial position determining sensor that is configured to provide location information for determining a location of the waste container; a server system for receiving one or more signals via a wireless communication network from the one or more sensors associated with the waste container, wherein the server system is configured to: determine that the waste container is required to have waste collected therefrom; determine a current location of the waste container based on a signal provided from the spatial position determining sensor; compare the current location of the waste container to one or more known waste collection vehicle accessible locations; determine whether the current location of the waste container is one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations based on the comparison; send a notification over the wireless communication network to an operator of the waste container when it is determined that the current location of the waste container is not one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations; detect an access control signal associated with the waste container, the access control signal indicating that the current location of the waste container is one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations; determine whether access to the waste container in the current location of the waste container is blocked by an object; and when the access control signal indicates that the waste container is in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations and access to the waste container is not blocked; compute an optimal waste collection strategy for a waste collection vehicle to collect waste from the waste container at the current location; select a waste collection vehicle from a plurality of waste collection vehicles to execute the optimal waste collection strategy based on a comparison of a current state and route of different ones of the plurality of waste collection vehicles; and automatically route the selected waste collection vehicle to the location of the waste container; or when it is determined that the access control signal indicates that the waste container is not accessible in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations, the system server is configured to change a route of the selected waste collection vehicle to bypass the location of the waste container.

2. The waste collection system according to claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to: monitor the access control signal after sending the notification; and after a pre-determined time period has elapsed, send a second notification to the operator over the wireless communication network when the access control signal indicates that the waste container is not in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations.

3. The waste collection system according to claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to compute the optimal waste collection strategy for the waste collection vehicle by: routing the waste collection vehicle to collect waste from the waste container upon determining that the waste container is required to have waste collected therefrom; monitoring the access control signal; and when the access control signal indicates that the location of the waste container is not one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations within a pre-determined period of time from when the waste collection vehicle is assigned, changing a route of the waste collection vehicle to bypass the current location of the waste container.

4. The waste collection system according to claim 1 wherein, following the sending of the notification, the server is configured to: determine a movement of the waste container; and determine a length of the movement of the waste container; and determine a new location of the waste container from the movement and the length of the movement; determine whether the new location of the waste container is one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations by comparing the new location to the one or more known waste collection vehicle accessible locations; send a notification to the waste collection vehicle over the wireless communication network to collect the waste from the waste container when the new location is one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations and access to the waste container in the new location is not blocked by an object; and reroute the waste collection vehicle along an optimum waste collection route to collect the waste from the waste container at the new location.

5. The waste collection system according to claim 4 , wherein the server is further configured to: determine that the access control signal following the rerouting of the waste collection vehicle indicates that the waste container is not in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations; send another notification to the operator of the waste container over the wireless communication network; and reroute the waste collection vehicle to bypass the location of the waste container when the access control signal does not indicate that the waste container is in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations within a pre-determined period of time from the sending of the another notification.

6. The waste collection system according to claim 1 , wherein the server system is configured to modify the optimal waste collection strategy for the waste collection vehicle based on one or more of a type of the waste collection vehicle and a type of waste to be collected from the waste container, a spatial location of the waste collection vehicle relative to at least one other waste collection vehicle, a status of the waste collection vehicle relative to the at least one other waste collection vehicle, a waste capacity status of the at least one other waste collection vehicle, a degree of access of a given type of the at least one waste collection vehicle to a given waste container relative to a given type of access of at least one other waste collection vehicle to the given waste container relative to at least one other waste collection vehicle, a current route of the at least one waste collection vehicle relative to at least one other waste collection vehicle, current traffic conditions for the at least one waste collection vehicle relative to current traffic conditions of at least one other waste collection vehicle; and wherein one or more of the at least one waste collection vehicle and the at least one other waste collection vehicle is configured to change its current waste collection route in dependence upon the modified optimal strategy communicated from the server system to the at least one waste collection vehicle and the at least one other waste collection vehicle.

7. The waste collection system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein server is configured to detect a location and a waste capacity status of the waste collection vehicle in substantially real-time for enabling the server system to dynamically modify the optimal strategy and communicate the modified optimal strategy to the waste collection vehicle in substantially real-time, and change a current route of the waste collection vehicle to another route during collection of the waste from the waste container.

8. The waste collection system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors include a user-actuated input sensor for enabling a user to signal to the server system that collection of waste of the container associated with the sensor arrangement is required to have waste collected therefrom and set the access control signal to indicate that the waste container is in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations.

9. A computerized method of operating a waste collection system, the waste collection system including a waste container for receiving waste and a server system for receiving one or more signals via a wireless communication network from one or more sensors associated with the waste container, wherein the server system includes at least one processor configured to execute non-transitory machine readable instructions, execution of the non-transitory machine readable instructions by the processor being configured to cause the server system to: determine, based on a signal sent over the wireless communication network from a waste status sensor of the one or more sensors associated with the waste container that the waste container is required to have waste collected therefrom, the waste status sensor being configured to determine one or more of a state of the waste container and a volume of waste in the waste container; determine, based on a location signal provided by a spatial position determining sensor of the one or more sensors, a current location of the waste container; compare the current location of the waste container to one or more known waste collection vehicle accessible locations; determine whether the current location of the waste container is a waste collection vehicle accessible location based on the comparison; send, over the wireless communication network, a notification to an operator of the waste container when it is determined that the current location of the waste container is not one of the waste collection vehicle accessible locations; detect an access control signal associated with the waste container, the access control signal indicating that the current location of the waste container is one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations; determine whether access to the waste container in the current location of the waste container is blocked by an object; and when the access control signal indicates that the waste container is in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations and access to the waste container is not blocked; compute an optimal waste collection strategy for a waste collection vehicle to collect waste from the waste container at the current location; and automatically route the waste collection vehicle to the current location of the waste container; or when it is determined that the access control signal indicates that the waste container is not accessible in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations, change a route of the selected waste collection vehicle to bypass the location of the waste container.

10. The computerized method according to claim 9 , wherein the execution of the non-transitory machine readable instructions by the processor further causes the server system to: monitor the access control signal after sending the notification; and after a pre-determined time period has elapsed, send a second notification to the operator over the wireless communication network when the access control signal indicates that current location of the waste container is not one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations.

11. The computerized method according to claim 9 , wherein the execution of the non-transitory machine readable instructions by the processor further causes the server system to compute the optimal waste collection strategy by for the waste collection vehicle by: routing the waste collection vehicle to collect waste from the waste container upon determining that the waste container is required to have waste collected therefrom; monitoring the access control signal; and when the access control signal indicates that the current location of the waste container is not one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations within a pre-determined period of time from when the waste collection vehicle is assigned, changing a route of the waste collection vehicle to bypass the current location of the waste container.

12. The computerized method according to claim 9 , wherein the execution of the non-transitory machine readable instructions by the processor further causes the server system to: determine a movement of the waste container; and determine a length of the movement of the waste container; determine a new location of the waste container from the movement and the length of the movement; and determine whether the new location of the waste container is one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations by comparing the new location to the one or more known waste collection vehicle accessible locations; send a notification to the waste collection vehicle over the wireless communication network to collect the waste from the waste container when the new location is one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations and access to the waste container in the new location is not blocked by an object; and reroute the waste collection vehicle along an optimum waste collection route to collect the waste from the waste container at the new location.

13. The computerized method according to claim 9 , wherein the execution of the non-transitory machine readable instructions by the processor further causes the server system to: determine that the access control signal following the rerouting of the waste collection vehicle indicates that the waste container is not in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations; send another notification to the operator of the waste container over the wireless communication network; and reroute the waste collection vehicle to bypass the current location of the waste container when the access control signal does not indicate that the waste container is in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations within a pre-determined period of time from the sending of the another notification.

14. The computerized method according to claim 9 , wherein the execution of the non-transitory machine readable instructions by the processor further causes the server system to: modify the optimal waste collection strategy for the waste collection vehicle based on one or more of a type of the waste collection vehicle and a type of waste to be collected from the waste container, a spatial location of the waste collection vehicle relative to at least one other waste collection vehicle, a status of the waste collection vehicle relative to the at least one other waste collection vehicle, a waste capacity status of the at least one other waste collection vehicle, a degree of access of a given type of the waste collection vehicle to a given waste container relative to a given type of access of at least one other waste collection vehicle to the waste container relative to at least one other waste collection vehicle, a current route of the waste collection vehicle relative to at least one other waste collection vehicle, current traffic conditions for the at least one waste collection vehicle relative to current traffic conditions of at least one other waste collection vehicle; and wherein one or more of the waste collection vehicle and the at least one other waste collection vehicle is configured to change its current waste collection route in dependence upon the modified optimal strategy communicated from the server system to the waste collection vehicle and the at least one other waste collection vehicle.

15. The computerized method according to claim 9 , wherein the execution of the non-transitory machine readable instructions by the processor further causes the server system to change a current waste collection route of the waste collection vehicle to a route that includes the current location of the waste container.

16. A computer program product recorded on non-transient machine-readable data storage media of a server system for receiving one or more signals via a wireless communication network from one or more sensors associated with a waster container, the computer program product being executable upon computing hardware including a processor, wherein execution of the computer program product by the processor is configured to cause the processor to: determine from a signal sent over the wireless communication network by a waste status sensor associated with the waste container that the waste container is required to have waste collected therefrom, the waste status sensor being configured to determine one or more of a state of the waste container and a volume of waste in the waste container; determine a location of the waste container based on a location signal provided from a spatial position determining sensor associated with the waste container; compare the current location of the waste container to one or more known waste collection vehicle accessible locations; determine whether the current location of the waste container is a waste collection vehicle accessible location based on the comparison; send over the wireless communication network, a notification to an operator of the waste container when it is determined that the current location of the waste container is not one of the waste collection vehicle accessible locations; detect an access control signal associated with the waste container, the access control signal indicating that the current location of the waste container is one of the waste collection vehicle accessible locations; determine whether access to the waste container in the current location of the waste container is blocked by an object; and when the access control signal indicates that the waste container is in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations and access to the waste container is not blocked; compute an optimal waste collection strategy for a waste collection vehicle to collect waste from the waste container at the current location; and automatically route the waste collection vehicle to the current location of the waste container; or when it is determined that the access control signal indicates that the waste container is not accessible in one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations, change a route of the selected waste collection vehicle to bypass the location of the waste container.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16 , wherein the computer program product is further executable upon the computing hardware for causing the processor to: monitor the access control signal after sending the notification; and after a pre-determined time period has elapsed, sending a second notification over the wireless communication network to the operator when the access control signal indicates that the current location of the waste container is not one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations.

18. The computer program product according to claim 16 , wherein the computer program product is further executable upon the computing hardware to cause the processor to compute the optimal waste collection strategy for the waste collection vehicle by: routing the waste collection vehicle to collect waste from the waste container upon determining that the waste container is required to have waste collected therefrom; monitoring the access control signal; and when the access control signal indicates that the current location of the waste container is not one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations within a pre-determined period of time from when the waste collection vehicle is assigned, changing a route of the waste collection vehicle to bypass the current location of the waste container.

19. The computer program product according to claim 16 , wherein the computer program product is further executable upon the computing hardware for causing the processor to: determine a movement of the waste container; and determine a length of the movement of the waste container; determine a new location of the waste container from the movement, the length of the movement and a location sensor associated with the waste container; and determine whether the new location of the waste container is one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations by comparing the new location to the one or more known waste collection vehicle accessible locations; detect, from a signal sent by a sensor associated with the waste container, whether access to the waste container is blocked by an object; send, over the wireless communication network, a notification to the waste collection vehicle to collect the waste from the waste container when the new location is one of the one or more waste collection vehicle accessible locations and access to the waste container in the new location is not blocked by an object; and reroute the waste collection vehicle along an optimum waste collection route to collect the waste from the waste container.

20. The computer program product according to claim 16 , wherein the computer program product is further executable upon the computing hardware to cause the processor to change a current waste collection route of the waste collection vehicle to a route that includes the current location of the waste container.